Other Knoxville Blogs

So I was wrong. The Knoxville News Sentinel does indeed know what a blog is. They even have one: No Silence Here. Hey, it's pretty good! But what do you expect when "real" journalists do it? Hee haw.

One of my fave causes, Restore Knoxville has a blog too. We have some great places left here. Let's not lose them.

There's one for Keep Knoxville Beautiful. Although it's more of a calendar board. Restore Knoxville is the same this way too, to an extent. But then I guess it depends on what your definition of "blog" is, huh?

I found several blogs through The Twelfth Parsec, although you can't just drop in to that blog. Lots of big words and big ideas... I guess. My eyes started to glaze over. Thick stuff.

Here's an interesting one from Les Jones. Now that is what a blog is all about. A little heavy on the links though. Even over at WIN we don't use that many on our pages. Googlebomb much Les?

And then there's Instapundit from Glenn Reynolds. It's like the Mother of All Blogs. Not just here, but anywhere. How the hell does he get any work done? I can only imagine a disease keeps him from sleeping-- ever. Say what you will about Glenn, he does create a lot of er, output.

His site also clued me into Converge South, a southern blog conference. Hm. I might try to get in on that action. Too bad I haven't been doing this longer. Though there's always next year...

Any other Knoxville blogs out there? Post in the comments puh-leeze.

Victor Ashe Park

Victor Ashe Park
Originally uploaded by superpixel.

It has been absolutely stunning weather in Knoxville lately. This is one of Knoxville's strong suits. Yeah, sometimes the weather is unpredictable. I like that. What, you want rain all the time? How about miserable heat or cold? I thought so. Gimme 4 real seasons.

Also, it was my first visit to Victor Ashe Park. Wow. Frisbee golf, several soccer fields, a toddler playground, jogging track and cross country track. Just wonderful. We will SO be there on a regular basis (yay for my schedule!).

Open casting call

Oh, for the 1 or 3 of you who read this now, pass the word along that I'm always taking submissions for anyone wanting to write for this blog. The only rule is to write about Knoxville. Past, present, future-- whatever.

It's a Knoxville Blog, get it?

This is an open offer BTW, and one I will make pretty much forever (void where prohibited). So if this blog's readership grows, so can the contributors.

Now to think of a way to contact me...........................................V-^

Letter to the mayor #1

It's the first time I've ever done this, but I wrote an email to the mayor. I'll report back on what happens. Here's the full email:

Mr. Mayor:

I work in tech and happened to read a blog from a man (and team) in New Orleans. They have been keeping a weblog (a form of internet message boards) of their experiences the entire time since Katrina hit.

Now the people who used to work there need a temporary home for 55 high-tech workers. One of their requirements is a nearby datacenter, 6,000-8,000 ft. of space and immediately available office furniture. Nearby housing is preferable.

Unfortunately, TN isn't on their "short list." That's a shame, because it seems like downtown Knoxville might be a perfect place for these folks. Between renovations and fires, do you think we have a place for these folks?

Here's the link to their blog:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

Link to the comments (no doubt many are vying for these people):
http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/46171.html

And... (long quote ahead)
Here's the excerpt from the "Interdictor", an IT guy with DirectNIC:
A message from the Co-Owner
As an owner of Intercosmos Media Group, Inc., I would like to thank all of you for the overwhelming support you have shown our company, our group, and our fight. This week has been a nightmare for everyone involved. The team at Outpost Crystal has done an outstanding job. There are many employees behind the scenes who have also committed themselves to working 16 hour days amidst complete turmoil, to keeping direcNIC.com up and operational.

Unfortunately all of these people are scattered across several states and telecommuting via hotel connections, pc cards, dial-up connections and even wi-fi hotspots. This dedicated group needs a temporary home until New Orleans is rebuilt!

Please help us to find a temporary home for 55 employees. We are looking for the following:

Short-term solution
6,000 - 8,000 square feet
Ready to occupy, desks, chairs, etc
Workplaces for 55 people
Nearby datacenter preferable
Internet connectivity
Nearby housing
Texas, Northern Louisiana, Georgia, & Florida are preferable...

Please send any information to noah@intercosmos.com.

I also want to take this time to thank all Internet providers who have offered assistance in secondary collocation, bandwidth and hardware. We especially want to thank National Net (http://www.national-net.com), Marlin Web Hosting (http://www.marlinwebhosting.com), and EV1 (http://www.ev1.net). They have been invaluable with their assistance.


Best regards,

Noah Lieske
Co-owner / Director
Intercosmos Media Group, Inc.
------

SIG

UT does its part for Katrina victims

Just passing along a note from the chancellor of UT. Makes me proud to be a Volunteer.

"September 1, 2005

FROM: Chancellor Loren Crabtree and Faculty Senate President Deseriee Kennedy
SUBJECT: Helping Students & Colleagues Displaced by Hurricane Katrina

Dear Colleagues:

Today we write to ask your assistance in lending a hand to students and colleagues in higher education following the devastation of the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina.

As you may have heard, Governor Phil Bredesen late yesterday offered our state's assistance in providing space to educate students displaced by the storm. Our campus has joined the entire UT System and the Tennessee Board of Regents institutions in supporting this. It is quite simply the right thing to do.

Already this morning, we've heard from several students who are looking for places to continue their studies while their colleges and universities work to recover from this disaster.

Here at Knoxville, we've offered to bring in up to 500 undergraduate students, as well as 50 law students (20 first-year students, 30 from the upper division) and all graduate students who wish to come here. While it is unclear how many students will accept this offer, we ask that you join us in working with these displaced students and in doing what we can to help in light of this terrible tragedy.

This is a time of incredible stress for many in our community. Many faculty, staff and students have been directly touched by this disaster. We encourage all members of the community to be sensitive to others in need. We'd also like to remind all members of the UT family that our university counseling services are available and can provide valuable assistance during this difficult time.

A task force has been created to coordinate this initiative and to ensure that we can manage the accommodations we offer to these students in need. The contact for the task force is Vice Chancellor Tom Milligan, and he can be reached at 974-9438."